Quinovic's adverts have shined a light on the ugly reality of renting
Tuesday, 14 August 2018
OPINION: Yesterday, Renters United called out Quinovic property management company over a brazen advertising campaign, which we believed degraded tenants.
The franchise behind the ads took them down, and has since apologised.
But the short life of the adverts was enough to shine light on an ugly truth; at least some property managers believe it is acceptable to exploit people who rent.
A mask has slipped momentarily, and sector leaders would be unwise to ignore what is beneath.
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If the property management sector wants to holds its head up, and play an honourable role in our rental system, this sector must declare war on any notion that it is acceptable (let alone funny) to exploit people who rent.
That notion was flagrant in the Quinovic adverts.
One asked landlords 'Are you financing your tenant's social life?' implying that if tenants have disposable income, landlords should be charging them more.
In fact, many renters are already struggling to make ends meet. Stats NZ reports that in the year ended June 2017, renters were two-and-a-half times as likely as home owners to spend at least 40 percent of their household income on housing costs.
In general, renters are poorer than home owners, including landlords. What kind of society tolerates, let alone pokes fun at, profiteering from the less fortunate?
Another advert stated, 'Afraid to man up? We aren't,' against a photo of men in a confrontation.
I won't bother to critique this equation of masculinity with violence. Reflect instead on the implied message that the role of a property manager includes intimidating a tenant.
The reason the public has responded with disgust is that these adverts shine and honest light on an ugly reality.
Renters are second-class citizens, at least as they are perceived by some property managers. Renters are financially exploitable. They are ripe for intimidation. Their vulnerability is a joke.
The public disgust to these messages is a healthy sign. Other companies have condemned Quinovic's poor behaviour, and Renters United appreciates the franchise's apology that they made a grave mistake.
The way forward, however, requires active repair work from the sector as a whole.
Auckland company, One Place, signalled this perfectly in a social media post earlier today: '[We] can't stand by and see the industry being dragged down any longer. We challenge other property management companies to share their view on what a tenant means to them.'
The post was accompanied by the company's own meme, busting the Quinovic statement as a 'myth', and stating: 'Your tenants are valuable, and we will treat them like customers, not children.'
One Place has hit the nail on the head. Property management companies must declare war on the problematic notion that it is acceptable to exploit renters.
They must challenge that notion until it really does become a myth.
Other leaders in the sector should follow One Place's lead.
Astonishingly, the property management sector remains unregulated, with property managers requiring no licence to operate (unlike real estate agents, who bear near identical responsibilities).
If the property management sector wants to earn a decent reputation and offer true value to New Zealanders, they should join Renters United in calls for regulation.
Despite the sums renters pay landlords and property managers, they do not receive recognition or service as customers. Instead, some property managers exploit them.
To resolve this, property managers must be regulated, and required to adhere to agreed-upon industry standards.
Only then can the sector be rid of the misguided notion inherent in Quinovic's advertising once and for all.
Kate Day is a spokesperson for Renters United.